The world just lost one of the greatest freedom fighters not
just in the history of Honduras but in the whole world. The voice of Berta
Cáceres was, is and always will be a voice that inspires tenacity, love for the
people, and hope. Berta always used her voice to amplify the voices of others,
of the downtrodden, of the poor, of the Lenca people, of all indigenous and
afro-descendant peoples, of women, of the LGBT community, of workers and
peasants, of the exploited, of the youth, of the people in resistance, of all
of us who dream of a more just world.

We share in the depths of our soul the immense pain felt by
our Honduran comrades from COPINH, by Berta’s beautiful and resilient family,
and by everyone who had the great privilege of meeting her at one time or
another. Berta touched hearts around the world. In every corner of this planet
earth, the planet that she defended with all of her energy and finally with her
life itself, the example, the voice, the memory, the inspiration, the
teachings, the love of Berta Cáceres are present today and always.

As La Voz de los de Abajo, an international human rights
organization based in Chicago and with more than 15 years of history
accompanying Honduran social movements, we hold responsible the government of
Honduras, the government of the United States, and the DESA corporation and its
financial backers for Berta’s murder.

The Honduran government is responsible for its unwillingness
to investigate the constant death threats against Berta, for its indifference regarding
the protective measures extended to Berta by the Inter-American Human Rights
Commission, for its participation in the campaign of defamation and character assassination
carried out against Berta in the Honduran press, and for its collaboration with
and support for the DESA corporation and its nefarious project of building a
hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River despite the opposition of the
indigenous Lenca communities. We are direct witnesses to that collaboration,
having seen with our own eyes the tremendous presence of the Honduran army and
its closeness and collaboration with DESA’s private security in the Río Blanco
community.

The U.S. government is responsible for its continued
financing of the Honduran army, for its long and criminal history of training
Honduran military assassins at the School of the Americas, for its essential
role in financing, defending and assuring the consolidation of the coup d’état
in Honduras and the environment of repression and impunity that it ushered in.

The DESA corporation and its financial backers are undoubtedly
responsible for the assassination itself. Its employees have said shamelessly
and on numerous occasions that they would kill Berta for her leadership in the
struggle against the environmental and cultural destruction represented by the
building of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam in Río Blanco.

Berta will live not just in the hearts but in the actions of
all the peoples in resistance around the world and especially in her beloved
Honduras and her beloved Lenca indigenous community. If the powerful and evil
think that by killing Berta they can end the struggle of the Lenca people, they
are terribly mistaken. Her
voice will multiply. Her example will multiply. Her inspiration will
multiply. She sowed thousands of seeds with her persistence, with her laughter,
with her tenacity, with her hope, with her vision of a world free from
patriarchy, capitalist exploitation and racism, with her dream of a liberated
world, with her profound faith in the inevitable triumph of the people’s
struggle. The struggle will deepen, international solidarity will deepen, the
wave of indignation will deepen, the determination and dedication of the Lenca
people, of the Honduran resistance and of the people of the world who accompany
them will deepen.

We will be releasing information on next steps for
demonstrating International solidarity very soon.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Today's hearing began with the possibility of another suspension hanging over it. Police Commissioner Henry Osorto and another witness, known to the court as Protected Witness 2 (PW2), have refused to appear to testify, stating that Trujillo was too unsafe for them. Their rationale being that since their family was killed in Trujillo there are people still plotting to kill them. Nevermind that Osorto is now a Commissioner in the National Police and has the resources to order police from everywhere in the country, there is not enough security in Trujillo for him.

The Defense pointed out that the security concerns weren't credible plus there isn't any proof that Osorto has received threats. In addition, the Defence pointed out that the law stipulates that no one is entitled to preferential treatment including members of the police or military.

Each time that the court has requested their appearence the response from the Prosecutor has changed with Osorto's excuses increasing in intensity. At the beginning of the trial his reason was that he was bothered by the fact that there was a retrial and that he couldn't give a specific date for when he would appear. The hearings were suspended to accomadate his schedule and when reconvened he was now fearful for his safety. When the court didn't capitulate to these blatant manipulations there were suddenly threats against him and the other witness.

The judges weren't buying it. They decided that there would not be another suspension of the trial nor a change of venue. The case would proceed as scheduled.

The morning session concluded after less than an hour and with the decision that after lunch the Defence could present their witnesses.

When the hearing reconvened, three witnesses testified for the Defense collaborating Chabelo's statements that he got to the scene after the deaths had occurred. The first witness was the photographer who had taken the photo that Henry Osorto and the Prosecutor's office had manufactured the case around. His testimony corroborated Chabelo's statements that he was there to retrieve the body of a friend that had been killed by shots fired from the Osorto house. When the witness arrived he saw Chabelo on a bicycle in a crowd of people about 100 km from the Osorto house. The house was already in flames. He snapped the photo of Chabelo just as the dead friend's body was being moved to a car to return to the community.

The other two witnesses corroborated Chabelo's story of being in the community in the late afternoon and went to the scene of the incident when the wife of the friend who had died was pleading for him to help bring the friend home.

This concluded the Defense's evidence. The judges asked the Prosecutor if there had been any changes regarding Osorto and PW2 appearing. Suddenly, Trujillo wasn't the dangerous place that it had been just this morning as the Prosecutor stated that Osorto and PW2 would appear tomorrow. We'll see.

Whether they do or not, tomorrow should be the last day of the trial as both sides have presented their cases short the testimonies of the no shows. The court has stated that they will not entertain any more manipulations. We shall see.

Friday, May 24, 2013

On
June 28, 2009 there was a coup d’état in Honduras. The coup carried out
by the Honduran oligarchy, military, and police was condemned around
the world but encouraged by the U.S. government which has continued to
work to legitimize the coup governments. Many tens of thousands of
Hondurans took to the street in resistance and have maintained their
resistance for more than 3 years despite a continuing human rights
crises that has left hundreds of activists murdered.

Now a real opposition party born out of the resistance movement is participating in the national elections on November 24, 2013.
The LIBRE Party is running ahead of the traditional pro-coup parties
and its candidates and supporters are the targets of violence and
intimidation. Honduran social justice activists and human rights
defenders are calling for international observers to accompany them
during the elections.

In
response to that call La Voz de los de Abajo is organizing delegations
in November 2013. The delegations will be working in different areas
of the country to help provide human rights coverage and election
observation where it is most needed. We are planning to a 10 day and a
5 day option.

La
Voz de los de Abajo has been organizing delegations in solidarity with
Honduras for almost 15 years. Since the 2009 coup we have taken 7
delegations to accompany the social justice organizations and resistance
across the country.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

From September 6-16, 2012 a La Voz de los de Abajo delegation of 9 human rights activists from the United States visited Honduras. We met with campesino and indigenous communities and organizations, with leaders of the Sexual Diversity Movement, the resistance political party LIBRE, independent radio stations and Honduran human rights organizations. We heard the stories of the hundreds of political assassinations and violent attacks on people since the coup in June 2009. We saw with our own eyes the effects of the militarization and use of paramilitaries when our delegation was directly threatened by private paramilitary. Everywhere we went the people asked us to make the United States government stop supporting the Honduran military, police, paramilitary and government. Let us share this reality with you and talk about what we can do here so the Hondurans can refound their country.